2008 to 2018: 10 stats from a decade of the Indian Premier League

The Indian Premier League over the years has capped a lot of criticism from all quarters but it has grown in stature every year since its inception in 2008.

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Rohan Sen

Jepher Christopher Nickels

New Delhi

April 19, 2018

UPDATED: April 19, 2018 17:06 IST

Brendon McCullum blasted 158 not out from 73 balls with 13 sixes and 10 boundaries in the first match of the IPL (PTI Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

IPL's popularity and reach has touched the sky while its value until last year touched USD 5.3 billion

Virat Kohli is the highest run scorer in one season and overall in the history of the IPL

Mumbai Indians have won three titles, the most, with Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders having two each

Exactly 10 years ago on this day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India gave birth to a cricket league which went on to become the biggest and most extravagant private cricket tournament the world had seen since Kerry Packer's World Series of Cricket in 1977.

The Indian Premier League, popularly known as the IPL, kick-started a revolution in India and thus, T20 cricket got a new lease of life.

April 18, 2008 will forever be etched in every cricket fans memory as Brendon McCullum gave the perfect start to the IPL. The rest was history.

Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders, McCullum blasted 158 not out from 73 balls with 13 sixes and 10 boundaries against Rajasthan Royals at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru.

More than KKR's 140-run victory, on that night cricket fans from all over the world got a glimpse of what the IPL was going to be.

Over the course of 10 years, IPL's popularity and reach has touched the sky while its value until last year touched USD 5.3 billion, according to Duff & Phelps. It is also the first sporting tournament in the world which was broadcasted live on YouTube starting from 2010.

With all its success in the last 10 years, the cash-rich league also had to deal with some of the biggest controversies in Indian cricket.

IPL founder Lalit Modi was banished by the BCCI in 2010 after being accused of misconduct, indiscipline and financial irregularities. The Indian board launched an investigation against him, and banned him for life in 2013 after a committee found him guilty of these charges.

Also in 2013 the spot-fixing scandal came to light in which the Delhi police arrested three players from Rajasthan Royals S Sreesanth, Ajith Chandila and Ankeet Chavan on charges of spot-fixing. Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was also nabbed by Mumbai police for alleged betting and having links with bookies.

The case led to the suspension of the three players from all cricket while Meiyappan along with Royals co-owner Raj Kundra were also banned from the league for life.

Financial irregularities due to the huge amount of money riding on the league has always been under the scanner which also led to the Supreme Court appointing a Committee of Administrators which now runs the BCCI. Justice RM Lodha, who formed a committee after the spot-fixing scandal, chalked out a number of suggestions which the board had to implement and is still in the process of doing so.

But all this doesn't project the complete picture and it is only a part of the problems that the BCCI and the IPL has had to deal with. It is still prospering and growing every year and is consolidating the board's position as the richest cricketing body in the world.

The league is also responsible in making and breaking the careers of numerous cricketers. Over the last 10 years there have been quite a few occasions which has caught the attention of the world.

Let's take you back to all the major highlights which happened in the IPL in the last 10 years:

LEADING RUN-GETTER

Virat Kohli overtook Suresh Raina to become the highest run scorer in the history of the Indian Premier League. He currently has 4619 runs, 61 ahead of Raina's 4558 runs.

Kohli has played with Royal Challengers Bangalore since the inception of the league back in 2008. He was appointed captain in 2013 and has been the mainstay of a star-studded batting line-up.

MOST RUNS IN A SEASON AND CENTURIES

Virat Kohli had a sensational year in 2016. He smashed a record-breaking 973 runs and helped RCB reach the final. Kohli also smashed four hundreds that season. His four centuries remains the most by a player in a single edition of the IPL.

HIGHEST INDIVDUAL SCORE

Chris Gayle holds the record for highest individual score of 175 not out. He achieved the feat while playing for RCB against Pune Warriors in 2013.

FASTEST HUNDRED

Chris Gayle slammed the fastest century when he reached the milestone in 30 balls against Pune Warriors in 2013. His 66-ball blitzkrieg was laced with 13 fours and 17 sixes. Gayle also holds the record for most hundreds.

FIRST HUNDRED

10 years ago, Brendon McCullum got IPL off to a solid start when he scored a breathtaking 158 off 73 balls in the first-ever IPL match between RCB and KKR at Bengaluru. McCullum hit 10 fours and 13 sixes as KKR annihilated RCB by 140 runs.

FASTEST FIFTY

KL Rahul holds the record for the fastest half-century in Indian Premier League. He broke Sunil Narine's record when he blasted his fifty off a mere 14 balls for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils earlier this month.

FIRST FIVE-WICKET HAUL

Former Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir grabbed the league's first five-wicket haul when he picked 6/14 for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008. Tanvir also has the best bowling figures in an innings.

BEST BOWLING FIGURES

Former Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir has the best bowling figures in an innings by a bowler in the IPL. Tanvir's 6/14 in 2008 remains the best innings bowling by a bowler. He was also the first bowler to pick a five-wicket haul in the league.

HAT-TRICK

Amit Mishra has taken the three hat-tricks in the competition with the first one coming in 2008 for Delhi Daredevils against now-defunct Deccan Chargers. He picked up his third in 2013. Yuvraj Singh holds the record for picking two hat-tricks in one season, achieving the feat in 2009 while representing Kings XI Punjab.

MOST WICKETS

Mumbai Indians' bowling mentor Lasith Malinga remains the leading wicket-taker with 154 scalps under his belt. Malinga, who went unsold in the IPL auction this year, played only for Mumbai Indians in his 9-year IPL career as a player. The Sri Lankan pace legend appeared in 110 matches and picked one five-wicket haul.

MOST CHAMPIONSHIPS

Mumbai Indians were crowned champions for the third time in 2017 when they defeated Rising Pune Supergiant in the final last May. Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have won the title twice while Rajasthan Royals were the inaugural edition champions. Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad have also won the league once each. Chennai Super Kings have reached the final 6 times, most by any team.

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